


Moments in the Life of SuperFam

by wizardofahz



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-05-30
Updated: 2019-05-12
Packaged: 2019-05-16 00:51:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 18
Words: 10,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14801199
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wizardofahz/pseuds/wizardofahz
Summary: In the world saving business, light-hearted family moments are considered extremely essential. In National City, the humans and aliens who love and protect one another are members of an elite squad known as the SuperFam. These are their stories.





	1. Kitten Thinks of Nothing but Murder All Day

"Winn." 

Alex's voice comes from behind him, low and dangerous. It immediately puts Winn on edge as he swivels around to see her stalking towards him.

"What the hell is this?" Alex demands as she thrusts a picture into his face.

Winn tries to back up so he can actually see the picture. The few centimeters between his chair and desk are crossed quickly, and he has to squeeze into the seatback cushion. Still he manages to make enough space to make out a small ginger kitten attacking a ball of yarn and a caption that reads, “kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day.”

"An internet meme?" Winn ventures cautiously. He's pretty sure Alex is aware of the meme, so he's not sure exactly what she's asking.

"I know that," Alex says, confirming his suspicions. Picture still in hand, Alex places a hand on each of his armrests and leans in intimidatingly, her face now occupying the space where the picture used to be. "But what is it doing on my office door?"

Oh.

Oh, this is bad.

This makes so much sense.

Which is probably why it’s so bad.

"I didn't do it,” Winn says quickly before gesturing at the dearth of space between them. “Do you see how I'm cringing away from you? I wouldn't do this to myself on purpose."

Alex narrows her eyes and observes him carefully. 

Winn holds his breath, which turns out to be a bad idea. He’s never been able to hold his breath for very long, and his racing heart is probably consuming more oxygen than normal. He would very much like to breathe, but at this point, he’d probably start with a giant gasp, and he doesn’t think Alex would appreciate him doing that so close to her face.

(Technically it’s her face that’s close to his, not the other way around, but he doesn’t think she’d appreciate the distinction.)

Finally Alex straightens up and says, “I believe you.” She throws the picture at him, and he scrambles to catch it without crumpling it. “Find out who did it.”

After Alex leaves, Winn gives himself a couple minutes to resume normal breathing. The other agents around him snicker at his predicament, but he does his best to tune them out as he tackles his new assignment.

The culprit is very good at hiding their tracks. Winn goes through security camera footage of the hallway where Alex’s office is and even the surrounding areas, but the picture just appears out of thin air. The footage has clearly been manipulated, but no matter what Winn does, he can’t recover the original footage.

To add insult to injury, the pictures keep coming over the next month at irregular intervals and in all sorts of locations:

A picture of a black kitten gnawing on a mouse toy taped to a fridge door in Alex’s lab.

A picture of a sleeping tortoiseshell kitten clutching a teddy bear slipped into her locker.

A picture of a white kitten pawing at a german shepard sitting on the handlebars of her motorcycle.

Even a picture of a lion cub baring its teeth as it plays in a pile of leaves left in the armory by Alex’s favorite weapons.

All with the same caption: “kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day.”

Winn watches more security camera footage, checks access logs of the various rooms, and even installs additional sensors around Alex’s things; all to no avail.

Kara thinks the pictures are adorable and saves each one from being crushed by Alex’s annoyed fists. J’onn doesn’t seem very concerned despite the fact that these intrusions could constitute a security breach, and Winn briefly wonders if he’s in on it. 

Alex, on the other hand, is getting (ironically? fittingly?) more murderous as the increasing number of incidents pass by, which is why Winn sits himself as far from Alex as possible at the next game night.

In addition to Kara, Alex, James, and Winn, Lucy and Vasquez are present as well. Since Alex and Kara spend more time at the city base these days, game nights are a nice opportunity to catch up with their friends from the desert base.

“So, Alex,” Lucy says as everyone settles down for a game of Monopoly. “We heard about your unconventional stunt at the docks.”

Vasquez explains, “When Pam was at our base yesterday, we got an earful about the amount of paperwork you generated.”

“Bad intel? No problem,” Lucy says sarcastically. “Let’s just go in anyway and ignore the fact that the stairwell in the back has actually been caved in for years and there are two unexpected K’hunds.” 

“I didn’t ignore those facts,” Alex contradicts her. “I just accounted for them on the fly.”

“You were being reckless, although I guess that’s per usual.”

"I'm not reckless."

Lucy gives her an unamused look. "Says Ms. Run-Straight-Into-Immediate-Danger-With-A-Plan-Made-On-The-Fly."

"I didn’t  _ make  _ that plan on the fly," Alex corrects her. "I  _ accounted  _ for it on the fly. First of all, I considered the possibility that one of the entrance points was compromised beforehand, and we had backup plans, so that was essentially irrelevant. As for the K’hunds, I ran through a bunch of different ways to deal with them after my last encounter with one, so I could subdue one more easily the next time. If the situation doesn’t match exactly, then I can use the similarities to extrapolate the rest from a different one. Hell, one of the strategies I used was something I thought of while having breakfast the other morning. I’m always planning, so I always have a plan."

For Kara, who spends the entire exchange setting up the game without super speed, this is nothing new. Alex is her protector, and this sort of thinking helps Alex keep her safe. It also keeps Alex safe, which Kara is grateful for. 

James seems to take this information in stride, though he looks slightly wary that someone can apparently spend 24/7 thinking about theoretical missions. 

Winn himself is very uncomfortable because Alex can be scary when she wants to be, and he has failed to find her prankster for the last month. She has probably come up with a hundred new ways to torture him in that time.

Speaking of… 

"See?" Vasquez says, turning to Lucy triumphantly. "Kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day."

"It was you?" Alex’s jaw drops slightly, and for a moment, she’s too stunned to be angry.

It makes complete and total sense. Between Lucy and Vasquez, they have a comprehensive knowledge and understanding of the tactics and technology required to pull off such an endeavor.

(Is Winn jealous of Lucy and Vasquez because Alex’s wrath won’t rattle them like it does him? Yes, absolutely.)

Lucy grins, and Vasquez doesn’t bother hiding the playful glint in her eye. 

"Sorry, not sorry, ma'am."


	2. Hella

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I headcanon Midvale as being in NorCal, Supergirl’s National City being around San Diego like the actual National City, and Winn as being from SoCal. I can’t remember if that’s canon or not. Just go with it if it’s not.

“So this,” Winn says, pointing to the screen that he, Alex, and Kara are gathered around, “is a prototype of the new gun I’m designing for Alex.”

Alex’s eyes light up with appreciation as she examines the specs and takes in the new features. “That’s hella cool.” 

“No!” Winn protests. 

His sudden outburst startles both Alex and Kara. They stare at him in confusion.

“I know that you’re from NorCal, but we’re in SoCal now. We  _do not_  say ‘hella’ down here,” Winn says emphatically. “I’ve heard you say it so often  _I_  started saying it, which is something no self-respecting person from SoCal should  _ever_ do.”

“Dude,” Alex says with mock indignation. “Are you trying to suppress my freedom of expression? That’s  _hella_ messed up.”

“You’re going to say it more now, aren’t you?” Kara asks even though she already knows the answer. It’s more of a warning for Winn.

“Hella!” Alex responds as she ruffles Winn’s hair and makes her exit.

“That doesn’t even make any sense,” Winn groans, sinking his face into arms that are crossed on the table.

“You walked right into that one,” Kara says, laying a sympathetic hand on his shoulder. “You shouldn’t have said anything.”


	3. Garata

“This is a soccer ball,” Alex explains as she holds said object.

She drops it to the ground and gently kicks it in Kara’s direction.

Kara looks at it blankly before returning her gaze to Alex.

Alex explains the basic premise of the game while demonstrating the appropriate amount of strength to put behind her kicks. She doesn’t care too much if Kara doesn’t pick up all the rules. There are plenty of Earthlings who don’t know them. It would be a problem if Kara shows up to PE and kicks a soccer ball across state lines though, so Alex focuses on the biomechanics.

“Oh,” Kara says as she becomes more familiar with the game. “So it’s like garata but without—” She pauses with a frowny face that Alex now recognizes to mean she needs a moment to transition between Kryptonian and Earthling cultures. “—what would you consider them… dragons?”

Kara looks up at Alex as if Alex has the knowledge to confirm that dragons are indeed the creatures she’s thinking of.

In that moment, Alex’s life is a movie, and the director has freeze framed this moment with a record scratch.

When her biopic resumes, Alex voices the first thought that comes to mind:

“You had  _dragons_ on your planet, and you’re impressed by  _birds_?!”

Her second thought is that she needs to know everything about these dragons.

The topic of sports is not touched upon for the rest of the day.


	4. Little Sister

It’s a small world.

When Lena first brings Sam around to Girls’ Night, that’s the sentiment that pervades the introductions as Lena and Sam had both met Alex independently of Kara and been surprised to see the former in the latter’s apartment.  

“Kara’s my little sister,” Alex tells Sam as the group makes their way further into the apartment.

“Well, younger sister,” Kara says as she leans her body against Alex’s back and drapes her arms over Alex’s shoulders. “Technically you’re little-er.”

“Maggie, look away,” Alex says, voice measured, deadly, and matching her now stony expression. “There is about to be a murder.”

“Uh, Danvers, it’s—”

Maggie is about to reassure her that younger siblings outgrow their older siblings all the time and that there’s nothing wrong with that.

But then Kara gently pats the top of Alex’s head. “Can you even reach from down there?”

The generic short joke changes Maggie’s tune. “You know what? Ride or die, Danvers. Have at it.”

They’re standing close enough to the couch that Alex turns and tackles Kara onto it.

“None of you have  _any_ idea,” Alex growls as she commences an attack with the throw pillows, occasionally emphasizing a word with a pillow strike. “The  _indignity_ of coming back for Thanksgiving during your first year of college and finding out your  _little_ sister is taller than you by  _2 inches_.”

Kara giggles all throughout the pillow assault, which doesn’t help matters at all.

Maggie settles on the floor next to the couch to be near Alex while Lena and Sam take the two chairs opposite.

Eventually the pillow assault dies down, but Alex remains splayed on top of the pile of throw pillows and Kara.

“Are you guys just cuddling now?” Sam asks, looking bemused.

“Nope, I’m wearing her down,” Alex says, and even though there’s a little bit of bite in her tone, she both looks and sounds far too cozy for it to be convincing. Kara does too for that matter.

Sam glances at the other two women, and Maggie shakes her head to let her know there’s no use in pursuing the topic.

So they talk about other things and get to know one other. As an integral part of their lives, Kara and Alex’s sisterhood comes into focus once again.

“Alex is the best big sister I could have ever asked for,” Kara says.

Alex grins. “Ha, you said, ‘big sister.’ I win.”


	5. The Blackmail Sisters

“Alex can be really scary,” Winn says as he steps behind Clark’s chair as if to shield himself from Alex’s glare.

They’re in the midst of a game of pictionary: Kara, Alex, and Maggie versus Clark, James, and Winn. Kara, Alex, and Maggie are squished together on the couch. Winn is up at the board that’s set up on Kara’s easel. Clark occupies the chair closer to the easel, while James sits in the other. They had just been joking about Winn’s subpar drawing skills when he’d retorted that at least he was better than Alex.

Hence the glare.

“Really?” Clark looks at Alex curiously. “I can’t really picture it. I guess I keep thinking of that time when you were ten, and—”

“Don’t you dare!” Alex cuts him off sharply, leaning forward as if ready to pounce.

“Why not?” Clark asks, looking genuinely confused. “It’s a cute story.”

“It is not cute,” Alex objects. “It is embarrassing, and you’re not going to to tell it.”

Maggie leans around Alex and says, “I want to hear about little Alex.”

Alex gives her a scandalized look, but luckily for her, Kara speaks up from her other side. “Clark, if you say anything, I will tell everyone about that time when my mom was changing your diaper and—”

“Okay!” Clark says quickly, putting his hands up in surrender. “Okay.” He mimes zipping his mouth shut.

“Thanks, Kara,” Alex says, leaning back into Kara.

“I’ve always got your back,” Kara says before kissing Alex’s temple.

“Don’t you want to hear about little Alex, Kara?” Maggie asks. Since this story takes place when Alex was ten, that means Kara wasn’t around to witness it herself.

Kara shrugs. “I’ve already heard that story.”

Maggie turns to Alex. “And you’re not tempted to hear the embarrassing story about Clark because-”

“I’ve already heard that story,” Alex says.

Maggie sinks back into the couch cushions in disappointment.

“You’ll get used to it,” James says, “Between the two of them they have enough blackmail stories to cover each other’s backs in any situation.”


	6. The Pick Up Lines of Nerds

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty nerdy. I initially tried to make the gist clear enough for a general audience, but then it ran away from me. It’s about as nsfw as my fic will ever get. I’m ashamed that my brain went there in such a way, but it did, so here I am sharing it with you. Uh… enjoy?

“This is not my finest moment, but I’ll tell you about it anyway,” Lena says at one Girls Night after she, Sam, Kara, and Alex have consumed a considerable amount of wine.

Lena launches into a story that involves a guy she’d met in a bar she was frankly too young to be in. He was both hot and smart (in hindsight, with the amount of alcohol involved, Lena admits this assessment may not be entirely accurate), and she was in want of a good time.

“So then I say, ‘Want to get a rect (erect) to Fourier pair with my sinc?’”

Alex chokes on her wine.

Lena looks surprised by the interruption as if she isn’t used to people understanding the reference and reacting to it. Sam’s eyes bounce back-and-forth between Lena and Alex, trying to figure out what she’s missing. Kara appears greatly concerned and is probably x-raying Alex given the way that she’s trying to sneakily look at Alex over her glasses.

Alex coughs, but there’s nothing to dislodge. Still, her body’s reflexes demand she try anyway. On top of that, Alex is laughing, the contraction of her abs making it harder to resume normal breathing.

Eventually Alex waves off the concerned looks and somehow manages to say, “That’s amazing.”

“Well, he didn’t think so,” Lena responds. She doesn’t sound at all regretful.

“No, I mean, it’s bad, but it’s so bad it’s good.” Alex wipes tears from her eyes. Whether they’re a byproduct of the laughter or the choking, she doesn’t know. “Did you even think it through?” she asks with a snort. “A rect is basically a square.”

“Of course I thought it through,” Lena says, sounding slightly offended that Alex could think otherwise. “If I scale the amplitude of my sinc, the same scaling factor is applied to his rect.”

“That’s fair,” Alex concedes. “But your sinc clearly doesn’t go out to infinity, which means that the Fourier transform isn’t going to produce a simple rect.”

“Okay, sure,” Lena acknowledges, “But most people recognize the rect-sinc pair. They’re not going to think beyond that to what happens in the frequency domain if the sinc’s field of view in the original domain doesn’t extend far enough.”

Alex quirks an eyebrow. It’s a valid point, but that doesn’t mean it’s not fun to push Lena’s buttons. “I did. So you thought it through with the assumption that the person will be nerdy enough to understand you and charmed enough to overlook the flaws in your statement. That’s very vain of you.”

“No.” Lena switches to her CEO voice as if she now means business and needs to close a deal. “I thought it through with the assumption that the person will be enough of a nerd to understand the reference and not pedantic enough to mansplain the details of Fourier transforms to me. And are you telling me that if I asked you to get a rect—”

“I’m flattered you’re asking,” Alex says in a facetiously touched voice and places a hand over her heart.

Lena rolls her eyes. “In your dreams.”

As the conversation shows no signs of stopping, Kara and Sam exchange glances. Kara pours them another glass of wine, and they settle in to watch the verbal sparring match.


	7. Phonetic Spelling

“You spelled soohu wrong,” Kara says as she peers at Snapper’s notes over his shoulder. “There should be two O’s.”

Snapper raises his head, and there’s a brief pause before he turns to glare at Kara for interrupting the interview.

“Oh, yes,” the Starhavenite now known as Dr. Alphonse Luzano says. “I am sorry. I suppose I should be spelling some of these words, shouldn’t I? In Starhavenite,  _The Book of the Ten-Pointed Star_  is spelled—”

The rest of the interview proceeds without any more interruptions. After Kara escorts Dr. Luzano out, she’s promptly called back into Snapper’s office.

“Explain to me why soohu—” Snapper begins, and Kara nearly winces at his pronunciation. “—a word from an alien language, is a word you can spell perfectly, and yet I still get drafts from you with ‘exclusive’ spelled wrong.”

“Uh,” Kara hedges.

She can’t very well say that she’s an alien who learned Starhavenite as child, learned about their culture in school, and visited their planet.

“Well,” she continues.

Snapper raises an eyebrow to indicate he’s waiting.

“The Starhavenite writing system is much more phonetic than English,” Kara says, though her statement is tonally phrased like a question.

Snapper’s already raised eyebrow somehow rises even higher. “Soohu and sohu sound exactly the same.”

Kara splutters. “No, they don’t, and those are two words you do not want to mix up.”

Hints of suspicion invade Snapper’s features.

“Or so I’ve heard from my many alien friends,” Kara says quickly.

A knock on the door prevents Snapper from responding.

“Sorry to interrupt,” James addresses Snapper. “Do you mind if I grab Kara for a minute? I need to double check some of the layouts for tomorrow’s edition.”

“She’s all yours,” Snapper grumbles, but Kara can tell this conversation is far from over.

“Everything okay?” James asks once they’re in the safety of his office. “Seemed like things were getting intense.”

They settle on the couch.

“Yeah, thanks,” Kara says before sighing. “I think Snapper is starting to believe that I’m an alien.”

James sits up a little straighter. “That’s not good.”

After Kara explains what happened, James says, “Well I guess it’s a good thing that it was Starhavenite and not Kryptonian, otherwise he might have figured out that you’re Supergirl. At least if he thinks you’re a Starhavenite, you have a more plausible reason for knowing Supergirl, and it’s not like CatCo doesn’t employ aliens.”

“I guess,” Kara concedes. 

It’s still not great though. Visually she can pass as a Starhavenite, and she has a pretty good grasp on their language, but there are so many more logistics to consider. If one person at CatCo believes she’s a Starhavenite, then it won’t be long before everyone at CatCo believes it (unsurprisingly gossip at CatCo spreads like wildfire), and then it’s likely to get out of CatCo, and then everyone will think that, and for so many people “thinking” is somehow equivalent to “knowing”, and everyone will know she’s an alien. 

The mental image of a very exasperated Alex springs into her head.

To distract herself, Kara asks, “Can you believe Snapper thinks soohu and sohu sound the same?”

James gives her a look. “Because they do sound the same.”

Kara flops head first into the couch cushions.


	8. Human Resources

Supergirl struggles against the chains securing her to the fission rods, a ring of Agents of Liberty all around her, and Alex feels a protective rage boil inside her. She’s glad she came to the island to check on Kara. There’s not much she can do, outnumbered as she is, but at least now Brainy knows to work on rendering the power dampeners on Shelley Island ineffective. They just need to hold out until then.

“One more minute,” Brainy says in her ear.

A one minute distraction should be easy enough. Alex just hopes that Kara will see her next words as the meaningless distraction that they are.

“Okay, you know what, you guys are right.” 

That certainly gets everyone’s attention.

“I can’t speak about all aliens, but this alien–” Alex points at Supergirl. “–this alien does take away human resources. My resources. Well, my food. She steals my food all the time.”

Alex can’t see the faces of the Agents of Liberty, but judging by the way some of their heads tilt, they’re not sure whether to take her seriously.

Thankfully Kara seems to realize what’s going on, but she also appears to take the last allegation seriously. “What! No, I don’t! We share food! It’s not stealing if we’re sharing.”

Alex ignores her and continues, “She even threatens to heat vision me if I don’t give her the last potsticker.”

“That was one time!” Supergirl protests but upon Alex’s look amends, “Okay, a few times but  _only_ a few times.”

“Yeah, but those times, I wanted that last potsticker.” 

“You may have wanted that last potsticker, but I needed that potsticker. Using my superpowers takes a lot of energy.” 

In their confusion, the Agents of Liberty let their squabble continue uninterrupted, the bomb trigger now forgotten. 

“You metabolize sunlight!” Alex flings her arm out to gesture towards the sun.

“It takes a lot of mental and emotional energy,” Supergirl specifies before turning on her puppy eyes. “You know potstickers are my comfort food.”

“What about my comfort?” Alex grumbles.

Supergirl pouts. “You know, the problem would be solved if you ordered more potstickers.”

Alex scoffs. “Exactly how much of my budget do you think can be set aside to feed you?”

“Done!” Brainy proclaims, and Alex can immediately see the shift in Supergirl’s posture as her full powers return.

After the bomb is disposed and the Agents of Liberty are contained, Alex places her hand on Kara’s arm. “You okay?”

“Yeah, thanks.” Kara nods before a smile appears on her face. “Can we get potstickers now?”


	9. iamdeltas prompt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> iamdeltas: “I brought over 2 pizzas and an entire package of oreos” + Danvers sisters because is that not the most Danvers sisters prompt ever :P
> 
> Haha you definitely picked the most Danvers sisters prompt. Okay, here goes.

As Kara flies in through her window, she is greeted by a most wonderful sight of Alex with food.

“I brought over 2 pizzas,” Alex says, pointing at the two pizza boxes before turning her attention to the adjacent bag and extracting its contents. “Oh, and an entire package of oreos just because, I don’t know, I’ve been craving oreos.”

“Where are the potstickers?” Kara asks.

Her favorite potstickers restaurant had been closed for three weeks as the family operating it had been on vacation in China. Today had been their first day back, but Kara had been busy all day with CatCo and Supergirl business. She had asked Alex to pick up some potstickers in her stead.

Kara has been craving their potstickers.

Alex continues on to the next item in the bag. “Ooh, and here are gummy bears.”

Kara ignores the gummy bears. “But where are the potstickers? I told you I was craving potstickers.”

“I also got ice cream,” Alex says in a singsong voice, gesturing towards the freezer as if hoping to distract Kara from the lack of potstickers. 

“Alex,” Kara says. She’s aware that she sounds whiny, but she’d really been looking forward to those potstickers. “I already x-rayed the bag. I didn’t see any potstickers. Why are there no potstickers?”

Alex’s face falls. “Okay,” she sighs and braces herself before admitting, “I forgot.” 

“You forgot,” Kara echoes with disappointment and disbelief. She had texted Alex numerous reminders after all.

“I’m sorry. My day at the DEO was really hectic, and, I mean, I can run out and get some now,” Alex offers apologetically. “I know they close in fifteen minutes, but if I hurry, I can probably make it.”

And even though it’s a struggle, Kara says, “No, I guess… It’s– I guess it’s okay.”

It would be faster if she flew there, but even then, the kitchen usually closes half an hour before the restaurant itself does. 

Alex bursts into laughter. “Your face!”

Kara’s sadness transforms into confusion.

Alex reaches into the bag. “I have the potstickers right here.”

“What? No, you don’t.”

But Alex does.

“Remember those videos of parents telling kids they ate their candy? I wanted to try something like that, and–” 

“I hate you. Give me the potstickers,” Kara says, not letting Alex finish and snatching the potstickers away from her as soon as they come into view. 

Kara grabs a few and shoves them into her mouth.

“This was not the day to do that,” she tells Alex with a glare despite the fact that she’s also chewing furiously. Frankly it’s a miracle that Alex understands her.

“Kara, it’s only been three weeks,” Alex says, annoyingly still looking pleased with herself.

“I have super speed,” Kara says, once again through a mouthful of food, though this time she chews slower, lets herself savor the taste. “Time works differently for me. Three weeks is forever.”

When Alex reaches over to grab one potsticker for herself before Kara finishes the lot, Kara yanks the container away. 

“No potstickers for you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For this ficlet, the DEO’s been working on a new lightweight, flexible material to block x-rays and that’s why Kara didn’t see the potstickers. I was going to include that detail, but Kara was too eager to eat potstickers, and there’s no way I’d get between Kara and her potstickers. Just pretend she and Alex talk about it later.


	10. anonymous prompt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> anonymous: 6 for those friendship prompts, with Kara and Brainy?
> 
> 6 is “I’m gonna hug you now,” so one Kara and Brainy hug coming right up. This is set around the end of 4x02 “Fallout”.

After returning from Washington DC, Kara tracks down Brainy.

“I’m sorry we couldn’t stop Mercy from disrupting your image inducer,” she tells him. “Are you okay?”

“It was… an enlightening experience,” Brainy says, looking troubled. “Massimo, who knows me as Barney of the olives and apples pizza, did not take it well. I had previously thought that some humans don’t like aliens because they fear what they do not know. It seems that reasoning is incomplete.”

“I’m sorry. I know it hurts,” Kara says.

“In the future, this adjustment to aliens on Earth is considered as merely a short period of unrest,” Brainy responds. “I had neglected to consider that even a short period can contain such hurt in the present.”

“Well we’ll just have to make sure that it stays short,” Kara says with determination. 

“In the meantime, I will continue to wear my image inducer. Perhaps I will work on making it foolproof to hacking.” Then Brainy looks at her thoughtfully. “I suppose your suit acts as your image inducer, although in reverse.” 

Kara nods. She’d been thinking about it more recently with the rise in anti-alien sentiment. “You know, sometimes I wish I looked more alien.”

“You do look alien,” Brainy comments. “You look Kryptonian.”

“Yeah, I do,” Kara says with a sad smile, “but I also look human, and we’re on Earth, so that’s what people automatically assume I am when they see Kara Danvers. It feels perverse to want something that invites xenophobia, but I am Kryptonian. Always. Not just when I’m wearing my Supergirl suit. My human appearance may shield me from xenophobia, but it also prevents me from being alien.”

“One day, you will be able to be yourself all the time,” Brainy says, and maybe it’s because he’s from the future that his words are as comforting as they are.

Kara smiles. “And you will too.” 

She hadn’t intended on telling Brainy about her recent introspection. She had meant to be the one providing comfort, and she plans on doing just that.

“I’m gonna hug you now,” she says.

“Will it be a ‘bro hug’?” Brainy asks, holding out his arms. “Winn showed me the appropriate technique for that.”

“Uh, sure,” Kara says, uncertain as to exactly what kind of “bro hug” Winn showed Brainy. 

But when she steps into his arms, it’s to a warm and comforting hug.


	11. CycloneRachel prompt

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> CycloneRachel: “I made it for you!” “I can tell” with Kara and anyone, because of course she would
> 
> If you let me choose, I’m always going to pick the Danvers sisters, so here we go with Kara and Alex.

“I made it for you!” a small girl, probably around four years old, says with a toothy grin as she holds out a colorful piece of paper to Supergirl, who is mingling with the crowd. 

From inside the cordoned off area, Alex smiles at the sight. She always loves seeing the positive influence that Supergirl has on people, especially children. She’s so proud of the hero Kara’s become.

“I can tell,” Supergirl says, crouching down to match the girl’s height and mirroring her smile with one of her own. “It looks just like me. Thank you!”

She hugs the girl, who sways back and forth in her arms, unable to stay still with her energy and excitement.

Alex is about to return her attention to the containment scene happening around her when the girl runs under the barricade tape.

“I made one for you too!” the girl exclaims.

“Becca, get back here!” Becca’s mother shouts.

Alex is several feet behind the barricade tape and waves off the closer DEO agents that move to intercept Becca. She takes a few steps towards Becca and takes her hand. “Let’s get back to your mom.”

“Sorry about that,” Becca’s mom says.

“That’s okay,” Alex says lightly, not wanting to upset the little girl. “We have to stay on this side of the tape, okay, Becca?”

But Becca is focused on one thing only.

“This is for you!” she says, this time handing Alex a colorful drawing.

“Becca is a big Supergirl fan,” Becca’s mom explains. “She watches a lot of Supergirl footage, and she noticed you’re there by Supergirl’s side a lot, so she’s become a fan of you too.”

Alex did not expect that. “Oh, wow, that’s–uh–”

“Amazing,” Supergirl finishes for her, her grin even wider than it was before.

“Yes, thank you!” Alex says, giving Becca a hug. 

“Wanna know a secret?” Supergirl says to Becca in a faux whisper. 

Becca leans in, face bright with curiosity and excitement at being trusted with one of Supergirl’s secrets.

“I’m a big fan of her too,” Supergirl says.

“Supergirl,” Alex groans, feeling her face heat up with embarrassment.

Supergirl smiles at her. “It’s true.”

Eager to move on, Alex looks down at the drawing. It’s pretty typical for a child, broad crayon stokes depicting her clad in all black with red hair. Next to her is Supergirl, who is much more colorful. Alex has seen a lot of the fanart that Kara’s gotten from fans. She never thought she’d get some of her own.

“Thank you,” Alex tells Becca again. “I am going to keep this forever.”

Becca squeals with delight, and it’s all her mother can do to pull her away in the end.

When Alex glances at Kara, the giant grin is still there.

“Please stop,” Alex says as she turns back towards the containment scene.

Kara follows her. “I can’t help it. I’ll always be really happy when people recognize you as the amazing person that you are.”

“I’m a secret agent,” Alex says, putting on a pretend stern face. “I’m not supposed to be getting recognition.”

“Well I don’t care,” Kara retorts. “I think you’re amazing.”


	12. Reconsider

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was thinking about how dangerous it would make Alex’s life if Supergirl revealed herself to be Kara, and a Petra Solano quote popped into my head. _Jane the Virgin_ fans will recognize it when they see it.

Alex misses Kara.

Sure, she gets to see her little sister in the evenings, but she’s grown accustomed to sharing more of her life with Kara. Alex had told Kara to give her some time to bring Colonel Haley and the President around, and she intends to do just that.

“Colonel Haley!” Alex says quickly as the briefing ends and people trickle out of the room, hoping to grab Colonel Haley before she disappears. “I wanted to speak to you about Supergirl.”

Colonel Haley gives her an unimpressed look but stays nonetheless. “Supergirl made her choice.”

“I know,” Alex says quickly. “But–” 

Colonel Haley doesn’t let her finish. “The DEO functioned well enough on its own before Supergirl, and it will do so again.”

Considering the matter closed, she turns to leave, but Alex stops her. “I know it can. I’ve heard that before, but just because it can doesn’t mean it should.”

“Director Danvers,” Colonel Haley says, irritation starting to seep through. “Let me remind you that your priority is this agency, not Supergirl. Now, I have observed that you and her are close, but–” 

“Yeah, we are close,” Alex interjects, “and you’re not the first person to notice. That alone has shone a spotlight on me. I mean, I have even been kidnapped,” Alex pauses and lifts two fingers. “Twice.”

She must say it weird because Colonel Haley gives her a look and holds up a hand to stop her. “I’m sorry, are you bragging about being kidnapped?”

“What? No,” Alex says before something occurs to her. “Although now that I’m thinking about it, I’ve been kidnapped more than twice, but only two of those times were Supergirl related.”

“You’ve been kidnapped multiple times,” Colonel Haley says, sounding very much like she needs a moment to really digest her words and that saying them out loud will somehow help.

Alex responds with dry sarcasm, “Yeah. What? You’ve never been kidnapped before?” 

“No.” 

Colonel Haley appears to be side-eyeing her right now, which is an impressive feat considering that she’s looking at Alex straight-on.

“Look, I know it’s not normal to be kidnapped,” Alex says quickly before Colonel Haley can make wild assumptions about her state of mind and have her removed because of them, “but that kind of makes my point. I  _work_ with Supergirl, and I get kidnapped, like, once a year. Imagine what would happen to the people she loves if everyone found out her secret identity. Or are you prepared to give her loved ones the same Secret Service protection that the President’s family gets?” 

It feels weird saying that given that she’s one of the people that Supergirl loves, but it’s important information to know. She personally wouldn’t be able to stand an escort, but she’d definitely want her mom to have one.

“That’s irrelevant now,” Colonel Haley says. “Supergirl decided not to work with us under our terms. There’s no point in pondering these hypotheticals.”

“I know it was her decision,” Alex acknowledges, “but maybe you’re not considering how unfair the terms were in the first place. If I had to go out there and tell the whole world that I’m the director of an off-the-books government organization that has the authority to ‘disappear’ people, human or alien, into custody, I wouldn’t do it lightly. I’d worry about repercussions. I’d worry about my little sister and my mom, and I’m nothing compared to Supergirl. That doesn’t sound unreasonable, does it?” 

“You’re not ‘nothing compared to Supergirl’,” Colonel Haley says. 

Alex wonders if Colonel Haley is complimenting her or if she’s just annoyed by Alex considering herself less than an alien.

“Even if I sympathize with Supergirl,” Colonel Haley continues, sounding genuinely sympathetic, “it’s not up to me. I’m following a directive as given by the President.” She holds up a hand before Alex can protest. “But I will discuss the matter with him when given the chance.”

Alex exhales with relief. “Thank you.”

Colonel Haley eyes her warily again. “You’ve really been kidnapped multiple times?”

Alex shrugs. “All part of the job.” She salutes. “Ma’am.”

When Alex leaves, she could swear she hears Colonel Haley mutter, “You people need so much therapy.”


	13. Space Fam

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is this silly, contrived, and never going to happen on the show? Absolutely. Do I have any regrets? No.

“Care to explain yourselves?”

Colonel Haley has somehow found out that Supergirl’s secret identity is Kara Danvers, and she looks livid.

Alex and Kara exchange glances before both start trying to explain at the same time, each trying to take responsibility in hopes that the other will be spared the consequences. 

Suddenly J’onn rushes into the room, Eliza trailing behind him. Colonel Haley narrows her eyes disapprovingly at the new arrivals.

“Everything okay?” J’onn asks. “I can feel–” He stops when he looks at Colonel Haley, not wanting to give too much away. Instead he repeats his initial question, “Everything okay?”

“It’s not–It’s just–” Alex starts, hedging as she tries to find a way to downplay the situation so J’onn and her mom don’t freak out. Then she decides to take the rip-off-the-bandaid approach. “Colonel Haley found out that Supergirl and I are sisters.”

Kara looks guilty and has probably convinced herself that this situation is all her fault. Despite the concern on her face, Eliza has also activated her mama bear instincts and looks ready to give Colonel Haley all she’s got. J’onn has squared his shoulders and adopted a stony expression, also ready to step in however necessary. 

Colonel Haley’s frown deepens at their exchange. “Were you reading Directory Danvers’ mind without her permission?” she asks J’onn.

“It’s not mind reading in the sense that you’re thinking of,” he explains. “Green Martians’ mind reading and emotional sensing are different abilities. We don’t have to read minds to be emotionally attuned to our environments, and we are particularly sensitive to those we have a close emotional connection to.”

“He’s like a father to them,” Eliza says.

Despite her appreciation for their support, Alex really wishes J’onn and her mom hadn’t come rushing in. Given Haley’s poor opinion of J’onn’s time as Director, calling J’onn their father figure probably isn’t going to help matters.

Colonel Haley redirects her attention to Eliza. “And you are?”

“Their mom.”

“And where are you from?”

“Midvale.”

“Where’s that?”

“California.”

Her mom’s terse answers make the short hairs on the back of Alex’s neck stand on end. This is a battle of wills that has the potential to end very badly.

“No, I meant where are you  _from_?”

There’s a moment of confused silence as Alex, Kara, J’onn, and Eliza exchange looks and stare at Colonel Haley.

Then it occurs to Alex. Colonel Haley thinks Eliza is her adopted alien mom the same way that Kara and J’onn are her adopted alien family. 

“Oh, no, she’s my biological mom. She’s from Earth.”

“My apologies,” Colonel Haley says, pinching the bridge of her nose. “I was starting to believe Danvers was a human hatched in an alien lab.”

It’s clear that Colonel Haley never actually thought that, but her world has been turned upside down so much since coming to the DEO that she might as well believe anything.

Colonel Haley gathers herself and, with a more civil tone, asks Eliza, “What brings you to the DEO, Ms. Danvers?”

“It’s  _Doctor_ Danvers,” Eliza corrects her. “I’m here to help the labs with some assay development,” she says before launching into an explanation of assay technology and their current inability to deal with the lack of homology between humans and some alien species.

If the technobabble is a power move, it’s proving successful based on Colonel Haley’s increasingly lost expression.

“She’s the best xenobiologist on the planet,” Alex adds proudly.

“You’re very sweet,” Eliza says, smiling for the first time since entering the room. “I wouldn’t say ‘the best’.”

“I would,” Kara says. J’onn nods, and Eliza smiles again.

“I need some time to process this,” Colonel Haley says, sounding simultaneously overwhelmed and annoyed at herself for feeling that way. “Director Danvers, do keep in mind that this is not over. We will debrief later. You too, Supergirl.”

“Yes, ma’am,” Alex says, snapping to a facetiously over-sincere salute before ushering her family out of the room.

“I’m sorry,” Kara says immediately when they’re a safe distance away. “I should’ve stopped when the President told me to. Then you wouldn’t be in this mess, and–”

“Hey, no. It’s not your fault,” Alex says, wrapping her in a tight hug to comfort her.

“Things will work themselves out,” J’onn says confidently, and with his breadth of experience and knowledge, it’s easy to believe him.

“And we’ll be here to support you along the way,” Eliza adds.

Kara, who is still in Alex’s arms, extends one of her own. “Come here.”

Eliza does so immediately. 

J’onn hesitates, but all it takes is one look from Alex before he joins in.


	14. Cry for Help

Kara really wants to punch Ben Lockwood in his obnoxiously smug face. If she wasn’t in this interrogation room with Colonel Haley, Kara is sure she would have done so by now.

“One benefit of being in here is getting to talk to the Children of Liberty that were on Shelley Island,” Ben says casually as if he’s telling a story instead of being interrogated by an irate Supergirl. “I learned something interesting from them. When your powers didn’t work like you expected, you called for help. Or rather, you called out for someone, one person in particular. ‘Alex! Alex!’” he says in a poor imitation of her voice. “It didn’t take very long to track down who this ‘Alex’ is: Alexandra Danvers.”

Kara clenches her fists, fights to keep her hands by her side. It feels like a battle she’s going to lose.

“Your instinctive cry for help,” Lockwood continues on, “is her name. I imagine some people thought it would be interesting to see how you’d cope without her.”

In less than a millisecond, Kara breaks through Lockwood’s cuffs, wraps a hand around his throat, and slams him into the wall. She tightens the hand around his throat as she lifts her other hand to hit him.

“Supergirl!”

Kara feels Colonel Haley tugging at her, trying futilely to pull her away. She glares at Lockwood, takes in the way he gasps for air, and lifts him higher.

Before dropping him on the floor.

He’s more useful alive than dead.

“Outside,” comes Colonel Haley’s stern command. “Now.” 

After they step out of the room, Colonel Haley says, “You need to keep it together.”

“You don’t understand,” Kara says, wishing desperately that J’onn were here instead.

“I understand that you abusing human prisoners with your powers, especially Ben Lockwood, is a bad idea.”

“He hurt Alex.”

“He’s been in prison.”

“He’s still responsible.”

Understanding dawns on Colonel Haley’s face. “Are you punishing him because you think he’s responsible or because you think you are?”

Kara falls back against a wall and hangs her head. “I’ve been turning Alex’s life upside down since the moment I walked into it. You know, I was on another Earth a couple weeks ago. Their reality was being re-written. At one point, I was being held prisoner, and Alex was there, that Earth’s Alex. She was working for the man behind it all. I called her by name. And you know what he said?” 

Kara looks up to see if Colonel Haley has any guesses, but she just looks confused. She probably doesn’t know anything about alternate realities and re-written timelines. Kara lets her chin drop back down to her chest.

“He said,” Kara continues, “that if I tried anything, he’d kill her. All because I knew her name, because I recognized her.”

“I think there’s more to it than that,” Colonel Haley says, and once again Kara looks up, this time looking for answers. “It’s the way you say her name. She obviously means a lot to you.”

Kara nods. “I need to fix it,” she says.

Colonel Haley looks at her watch. “I think you need to go sit with Danvers.”

“I can’t,” Kara says. “I can’t sit by and do nothing.”

She’s already done that once: sat in her pod and watched helplessly as her planet exploded. She can’t do that again. Kara can’t just sit in the room with Alex and watch helplessly if Alex dies. At least out here, she can track down the people that hurt Alex, make sure that they never do it again. 

Because Alex is going to live.

She has to.

She has to. 

She has to. 

Otherwise it’s all Kara’s fault.

Suddenly it feels like the hallway is getting smaller and smaller, and Kara can’t breathe.

“Supergirl!” Kara hears, and she realizes she’s on the floor.

“Come on, Supergirl,” Colonel Haley says. “Breathe with me.”

With some time and Colonel Haley’s guidance, Kara’s breathing returns to normal, and she pulls away, embarrassed by what happened and uncomfortable with their proximity.

Thankfully Colonel Haley doesn’t make a big deal of it. She gives Kara a moment before asking, “You ready to go back in there?” 

Kara closes her eyes, composes herself, and looks at Colonel Haley with determination. 

“Let’s do it.”


	15. Partners in Nerding

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Title is egregiously stolen from volando_voy.

“So then I yank the spike out of the Hellgrammite’s arm, and I stab him with it. Ten times.”

Alex watches with amusement as Winn swallows nervously.

She lets that amusement show in the form of a sadistic smirk, specially put on to scare Winn all the more. Now that Winn knows Kara is Supergirl, Alex has been spending more time with the “Superfriends”. It’s fun scaring Winn because it’s so easy. He has no idea when she’s being serious or when she’s being facetious, and he gets these magnificently nervous looks on his face. 

Besides, Winn so obviously has a crush on Kara, and as her big sister, Alex has no qualms about putting him through the wringer.

“Like, for real?” Winn asks, his anxiety raising the pitch of his voice.

And just this once, Alex decides to take pity on him.

“No,” she scoffs, “for complex with real and imaginary components.”

Immediately, cowering Winn is replaced by excited nerd Winn. 

“Kara said you’re a nerd,” Winn says as if he completely forgot because of her scariness.

Alex rolls her eyes, but it’s good-natured. “Please. That is a low bar to qualify as a nerd.”

“True.” Winn grins. “But that response right there qualifies you as one.”

 

* * *

 

“Happy birthday, nerd,” Alex says as she plops a filled grocery bag on this lap.

“What’s this?” Winn asks as he unties it to take a peek inside.

Alex sits beside Kara on the couch. “It’s your birthday cake.” 

Winn frowns. “It’s eggs, flour, baking powder, sugar–” 

“Yeah, as in everything you need for a cake. Have fun compiling it.” 

Winn laughs with approval. “Is there a recipe in here? I can’t compile anything without a Makefile.”

“You’ll figure it out,” Alex says, waiting for Winn to reach into the bag before adding, “I even put in some bugs, so you can debug it.”

Winn jerks his hand back. The bag nearly crashes to the floor but is saved by Kara’s super speed.

“I’m kidding.”

Despite Alex’s words, Winn doesn’t touch the bag again, eyeing it warily until Kara assures him that her x-ray vision has detected no bugs.

 

* * *

 

“Stop trying to make fetch happen,” Alex says as she enters the lab, approaching Winn from behind and making him jump in surprise.

“I’m not!” he says as he whirls around. Then his face scrunches in confusion. “Wait, what are we talking about?”

“LaTeX,” Alex explains. “Some of the collaborators don’t like it, and all the administrators hate it. They think it’s unnecessarily complicated.”

Winn sputters. “But– but– How am I supposed to– I am not writing equations and formatting references and figures in Word. You can’t make me. It’s inhumane.”

“Hey,” Alex says, holding up her hands. “I’m not the one who makes the rules.”

“But you agree with me, right?” Winn asks with his most pitiful puppy dog eyes.

Alex agrees that LaTeX is not that hard to grasp, but that’s not the issue here. “I think that the admin who try to edit your drafts for requisition forms and reports are doing you a favor by filling out some paperwork for you. Trust me: you don’t want more paperwork in your life.”

Winn groans.


	16. This Bird Keeps Itself in the Air by Sheer Force of Anger Alone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a follow up to “Kitten Thinks Of Nothing But Murder All Day”.

“This is ridiculous.”

Alex slaps a picture down on the console between Lucy and Vasquez. The picture features a tiny kitten swiping at a much larger dog with the caption:  _kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day_.

Vasquez frowns at the treatment of her console, lifting the picture and examining the screen below.

Lucy, on the other hand, smirks and cheekily says, “Nice to see you too, Agent Danvers. What brings you to the desert base?”

“It is not my fault that I happened to encounter a rogue K’hund on my way to dinner the other night or that I happened to have my new favorite gun on me, and it certainly doesn’t warrant another–” Alex gestures at the picture “–meme on my lab door.”

“Mm-hmm,” Lucy hums skeptically. “So you decided to bring your new alien gun home instead of leaving it in the armory for no reason at all?”

“And with all due respect, ma’am, surprise encounters seem to happen to you more frequently than random chance,” Vasquez chips in. “Definitely more often than any other agent at least.”

“Director Lane,” says Dr. Chae as she approaches, eyes locked on her tablet and only noticing Alex at the last moment. “Oh, Agent Danvers. It’s good that you’re here. It would be nice to get your insight on the microarray experiments that we’ve been running recently.” 

Lucy largely tunes out their conversation, but then Alex says. “Looks like it’s time for ComBat.”

That catches Lucy’s attention.

“Okay,” Lucy cuts in quickly in case she needs to prevent imminent violence, “and we’re back to ‘kitten thinks of nothing but murder all day’. Look, Danvers, there’s no reason to fight the lab.”

“What?” Alex says, both taken aback and defiant. “No! I’m not fighting anything, well except batch effects. ComBat is an empirical Bayes approach for harmonizing batches of genetic expression data. We don’t encounter some alien species very often, so our arrays sometimes get run in small batches, which this approach is particularly useful for.” Lucy can visibly see Alex make the decision to rein in her nerdiness to protest, “I don’t think about murder all day!”

Dr. Chae, who had been nodding along to all of Alex’s science talk, looks thrown by the sudden change in gears of Alex’s addendum.

“Mm-hmm. Sure, Danvers,” Lucy says as she and Vasquez exchange looks. “Fine, go do your non-murderous combat thing.” 

 

* * *

“Here. The 2007 ComBat paper from Johnson.”

Lucy doesn’t even have time to look up before a small stack of paper is dropped on the desk in front of her. She glances up to see Alex, who has probably come straight from the lab given that she’s now wearing a lab coat. 

Lucy’s eyes quickly rake over the first few pages. “I don’t see the term ‘combat’ in here at all.”

Alex tosses a USB drive at her. “Here are over twenty papers citing the paper and referring to their method as ComBat. None of them have anything to do with fighting or murder.”

Lucy looks at the drive with amusement. Trust Alex to go unnecessarily above and beyond to prove her point.

“Were you the one who named it ComBat?” she teases.

“No!” Alex groans. “Ugh, I hate you.”

“Fine,” Lucy acquiesces. “Sometimes you don’t think about murder. Sometimes you’re a total nerd.”

 

* * *

It’s been well over a month since Alex has found any murder kitten memes anywhere near her lab or office, and she’s found herself relaxing. Sometimes she wonders if Lucy and Vasquez are lulling her into a false sense of security, but then she shakes it off. She always has more pressing things to deal with than dwell on such silly matters.

But then one day, Alex sees something taped to her office door. 

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

This time there are no kittens.

_this bird keeps itself in the air by sheer force of anger alone_

 

* * *

Alex storms into Lucy’s office and shoves the new picture in her face. “What the hell, Lucy!” 

Lucy takes one look at the picture and laughs.

“Are you done?” Alex asks when Lucy shows no signs of stopping. “Can you be done?”

She takes her sweet time, but Lucy eventually does stop laughing, gasping out, “Oh, that’s good.”

“How very modest of you considering  _you’re the one who did it_ ,” Alex says, emphasizing every last word.

“I wish,” Lucy says, sounding genuinely rueful. “Hate to burst your bubble, Danvers, but it wasn’t me.”

Alex eyes her skeptically. “Come on.”

“I’m serious,” Lucy insists. “I’d tell you if it was me.”

“You didn’t last time.”

“Last time, you didn’t ask.”

Alex stares at Lucy, searching for any sign that she’s lying. When no such sign makes itself known, Alex stalks out of the office.

Lucy follows.

Alex makes a beeline for Vasquez’s station. “Vasquez, what is this?”

Unlike Lucy, Vasquez sighs. “I have been sworn to secrecy.”

“You did this without me?” Lucy asks, clearly feeling betrayed, but she recovers quickly. “Can you tell me? I mean, obviously wait until Alex is gone, but you’ll tell me, right?”

Alex shoots a glare her way.

“Sorry, ma’am,” is all Vasquez says. “My lips are sealed.”

 

* * *

Alex is in the middle of glaring down Vasquez at game night when the last voice she expected to hear says, “Okay, fine, it was me.” 

A stunned silence follows the statement.

“What?” Alex says weakly, turning to J’onn.

Pinching the bridge of his nose, J’onn says, “Can you please stop jumping off buildings or launching into space?”

Alex crosses her arms defiantly. “You make it sound like I do that all the time.”

J’onn holds up a hand and ticks off various instances on his fingers. “Flying into space in Kara’s pod, nearly getting launched into deep space on a Cadmus ship, jumping off the DEO balcony… Do I need to go on?”

As he speaks, Alex’s expression shifts, defiance giving way to confusion. “And you thought the way to tell me this was through memes? Why not just talk to me about it?”

“I did. Many times,” J’onn says, his consternation clear. “And each time, you come up with an excuse like, ‘there was no other choice’ or ‘I knew Kara would save me’.”

“I would,” Kara agrees with earnest conviction.

“And where was Kara the last time you jumped across roofs?” J’onn asks Alex with a pointed look.

Avoiding Kara’s gaze, Alex answers reluctantly, “On Argo.”

“What?” Kara exclaims, rounding on Alex in clear expectation of an explanation.

“Oh jeez,” Alex mutters. 

“And what ended up happening?” J’onn prompts.

Alex sighs. “Me hanging off the side of a building with a gun pointing down at me.”

“Alex!” Kara’s pitch has gone up, which is not a good sign.

“It was fine. I’m fine,” Alex reassures her quickly before glaring at J’onn. “Not cool.” 

“Lucy and Vasquez’s cat meme seemed to make more of an impact on you than any lecture I’ve ever given you, so I figured I’d give it a try,” J’onn explains. “Promise me you’ll be more careful in the future.”

“I’m always careful,” Alex retorts.

“Alex,” Kara nags.

“Fine.” Alex sighs. “I promise.”


	17. How to Exasperate Your Local Therapist: A Guide by the Superfriends

In watching James discuss therapy with his friends, it’s quite possible that Kelly has never seen a group of people treat therapy like such an alien concept. 

“I can also give you some recommendations if you’d like,” Kelly tells Lena.

Visibly startled, Lena responds, “Why would I–”

Kelly stares at Lena with incredulity. “You were drugged and kidnapped by your brother. That’s a traumatic experience by any standard.”

“Oh, no, thank you,” Lena responds in a polite, diplomatic tone, clearly polished by years of business dealings. “I don’t need therapy for that. That’s just part of being a Luthor. Happens all the time.”

Kelly’s incredulity grows.

“That doesn’t make it healthy or even normal. I’ll demonstrate,” she says. She directs her next words at everyone else. “Raise your hand if you’ve never been kidnapped.”

Only to find herself the only person raising her hand.

“You’ve got to be kidding me.”

Kara exchanges glances with Nia and James before saying, “Lois says it’s Reporting 101. If we get kidnapped, that means we’re on the right track.”

“What?” Kelly splutters. “I am going to have a very serious conversation with Lois.”

“God help us all,” James mutters under his breath.

Kelly ignores him and continues, “And then I’m going to find each of you a therapist. Or maybe I’ll do that part first.”

Nia raises her hand.

“Yes?”

“What if I’ve only been kidnapped once?”

Nia’s question is so sincere and genuine, and yet it nearly has Kelly facepalming. 

“Any number of times greater than zero is too many times,” Kelly says, refraining from pinching the bridge of her nose. “James, what are you teaching them?”

“It wasn’t me!” James protests. “Didn’t you hear Kara? It’s all Lois.”

Kelly is unimpressed by his answer. “Are you their boss or is Lois their boss? I’m serious. All of you are getting therapists.”

The fact that all of them seem to consider kidnapping as the least of their worries means Kelly hasn’t even scratched the surface. It’s mind-blowing. 

“My stuff’s classified,” Alex drawls, looking smug from where she lounges in the armchair.

“Oh don’t you worry,” Kelly responds without missing a beat. “Military psychologist, remember? I can find someone with the right security clearance, but thanks for reminding me to keep that in mind.”

“No, that’s–” Alex begins to protest before she seems to realize there’s no talking Kelly out of this. Instead, she opts for downing the rest of her wine.

Kelly takes the win for now. She has a feeling actually getting any of them to talk to a therapist is going to take a lot of work.


	18. Best Mom Eliza

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Mother’s Day to best mom Eliza!

Agent Panadero’s voice floats around the corner, stopping Eliza in her tracks. “I mean, Agent Danvers is, what, not even thirty? She’s a baby.”

Despite her immediate instinct to go on the offensive, Eliza takes a breath and reminds herself that she doesn’t have the full situational context. She’d met Agent Panadero in the lab earlier, and at the time, he’d only had positive things to say about Alex. The comment is also odd given that he’s no more than five, maybe ten, years older than Alex. 

Eliza decides to give him a chance. 

“Yes, and she’s my baby,” she says as she turns the corner. She keeps her voice light and even. “Is there a problem?”

“Dr. Danvers!” Agent Panadero yelps before stuttering, “No, I–I was—We were just—” 

He looks to Agent Lim for help.

With fond exasperation she rolls her eyes. Agent Lim is also a DEO scientist but closer to Eliza’s age and holds herself with a great deal of composure.

She explains, “We were talking about everything Agent Danvers does around here. She leads field teams, has her own lab, is practically Director Henshaw’s second in command. It’s a lot of responsibility, especially given that–”

“–she’s only twenty-seven,” Eliza says, nodding with understanding.

“With how good she is at her job, it’s easy to forget how young she is,” Agent Amoako adds. “With all due respect, I think having you here reminds us of that.”

Eliza smiles. She takes no offense at that. There’s little she enjoys hearing more than someone complimenting her daughters. 

 

* * *

 

Eliza observes the scene in front of her with bleary eyes. It is after 2 A.M., and she had woken in Kara’s apartment to find that her girls still weren’t back. Instead they’re in a lab with James, Winn, and Lena, where they look to be debating potential improvements to James’ Guardian and Alex’s DEO gear.

She clears her throat to get everyone’s attention.

Facing an array of guilty faces, she says, “If you are one of my children, you are hereby required to go straight to bed, do not pass go, do not collect $200.”

Alex sighs, acquiescing immediately, and Winn shoots her a triumphant grin as if enjoying the rare moment of someone scaring Alex into submission for a change.

“If you are not one of my children,” Eliza continues, wiping the smirk off Winn’s face as her gaze settles on him, “it is  _highly recommended_ that you also go to bed. Now.”

Seeing that Winn is sufficiently cowed, Eliza directs her attention to the rest of the the group.

“Dr. Danvers,” Lena begins. 

She probably assumes that Eliza will be easy to handle considering she grew up under Lillian Luthor.

It is a false assumption.

“I appreciate that—” Lena stops short when she encounters Eliza’s distinctly unimpressed look. “I will see everyone in the morning.”

Lena makes her way for the door, but Eliza knows a false concession when she sees one. She raised two wily daughters after all.

“Lena,” Eliza calls out. She waits until Lena turns back to meet her gaze before continuing, “I will know if you go home only to resume working there instead of sleeping.”

Looking briefly unsettled, Lena makes a quick exit, followed by everyone else.  

 

* * *

 

“Collecting more siblings?” J’onn asks after Alex pats Brainy on the back and sends him on his way.

“What?” Alex looks up with him in confusion.

He explains, "Obviously, you have Kara, and then there was Winn, and now you appear to be taking Brainy under your wing.”

Alex rolls her eyes. “You’re one to talk, Papa Bear.”

“Only because you kept bringing them around to the DEO,” J’onn responds with a teasing smile.

“Uh, excuse me.” Alex frowns. “I have been described as standoffish and reserved. This is not on me. I only know them because of Kara.”

Kara materializes at Alex’s shoulder. “I heard my name.”

“We’re talking about how friendsgiving gets bigger every year because you keep collecting people,” Alex says.

“Because no one should spend Thanksgiving alone. Thanksgiving is about being thankful for food, friends, pie, family, and food. Did I mention the food?” Kara says before defending herself. “Besides J’onn invited Manchester this year.” 

Alex raises an eyebrow. “And who invited everyone else?”

“I’m just doing what you and Eliza did for me,” Kara says before realization hits her. “Oh, Eliza.”

The three of them look over to where Eliza is talking with Nia.

“That certainly explains a lot,” J’onn says.

“Uh huh,” Alex agrees.


End file.
